The potential business revenue from rising compliance requirements and security threats is hard to ignore. The increasing press coverage of ransomware attacks and fines for non-compliance is driving awareness and urgency. Even the slow adopter business owners and managers know something needs to be done to limit their corporate risks and individual exposure, and time isn’t on their side. What tools are necessary, how to integrate it into the IT services offering, how to market it? What are the best ways to go about developing sound cyber-security policies and practices in 2018 that could be used for commercial gain as well as internal commercial security? Here are some recommendations.

EDITOR'S DESK

In the upcoming March/April 2018 issue of Retail Executive, I dedicate my Viewpoint article to voice commerce, a topic we’ll be covering more diligently as the technology progresses. As such, I caught up with Saeed Amidi, CEO of Plug and Play Tech Center and Retail Executive Editorial Advisory Board member to get his take on the progression of the technology and how retailers should utilize it.

GUEST CONTRIBUTORS

Online shopping can actually be quite stressful but leveraging a chatbot with strong functionalities can relieve shoppers of these stresses and make shopping productive, timely, and enjoyable once more.

Modern retailers understand the core benefits of leveraging the power of Predictive Analytics and Artificial Intelligence. Predictive Analytics accounts for all of your company’s relevant data at a micro-level, identifies your business’ trends, opportunities, and influencing factors. It makes recommendations to retailers that will help them increase forecast accuracy, reduce inventory costs, increase in sales, and maintain high customer satisfaction levels.

Mobile point of sale (mPOS) systems are experiencing explosive growth in the retail sector. For smaller retailers, mPOS represents an opportunity to expand the flexibility of their POS options, and to reconfigure customer interactions and fundamental store design concepts. Learn how mPOS may eliminate the need for a traditional cash wrap, while improve the entire in-store experience for customers.

For consumer goods companies with omnichannel sales, downstream demand is a key signal to consider when thinking about inventory allocation, new product launches, demand planning, and other decisions. However, not all downstream demand is created equal.

Retailers of any size can now use image and vision technology to improve the shopping experience and profitability. This first article in a five-part series covers automation of the retail supply chain, including improving bar code accuracy and reliability, shipping efficiency, and ensuring label compliance.

RETAIL IT WHITE PAPERS

To keep pace with growing consumer expectations, retailers must be equipped with modern order management systems that greatly expand their fulfillment capabilities. However, many still lag behind. To gain insight into these challenges and retailers’ top priorities for a future OMS investment, Radial partnered with Incisiv to conduct a quantitative survey of retail executives spanning key business functions across the retail supply chain.

In the old days, consumers went shopping because they had to. However, thanks to a plethora of new options, consumers today must now be inspired to want to shop. To improve the customer experience, retailers are looking toward many different options, such as buy online pick up in store (BOPIS), click and collect and ship-from store. While convenient, these fulfillment methods have only further exposed the problem of out-of-stocks.

In the age of the consumer, customers expect an FP3 experience throughout the buyer journey – one that’s (Frictionless, Personalized, Predictive, Proactive). While delivering an FP3 experience can be challenging, it is possible, and can benefit your company in many ways.

Chargebacks are an unfortunate reality of a retail business and can be devastating to your bottom line. When you consider that over 84 percent of chargebacks are now due to fraud, developing a comprehensive strategy for managing them is critical for success.

RETAIL IT CASE STUDIES

FEATURED RETAIL SOLUTIONS PROVIDERS

Retalon is a leading provider of Retail Predictive Analytics solutions for Retailers. Retalon is a transformational approach to the retail industry. From inception, our solutions were built on an integrated analytic platform that takes into account the entire retail business process which produces the highest accuracy possible. Our predictive analytics technology empowered retail businesses with advanced analytics that uncover hidden opportunities, and significantly increase bottom and top lines.

Datalogic is a global technology leader in the automatic data capture and process automation markets, specialized in the designing and production of bar code readers, mobile computers, sensors for detection, measurement and safety, vision and laser marking systems.

Founded in 1975 and headquartered in Long Beach, CA, Epson America, Inc. is the U.S. affiliate of Japan-based Seiko Epson Corporation, a global manufacturer of high-quality technology products that meet customer demands for increased functionality, compactness, systems integration, and energy efficiency.

MULTIMEDIA

Retalon is a leading provider of Retail Predictive Analytics solutions for supply chain, inventory management, pricing, merchandising, planning, and marketing operations. Retalon products range from task-oriented solutions to a common analytic platform, resulting in tangible optimization of the supply chain and significant measurable benefits for the entire organization.

RETAIL EVENTS

VENDOR INSIGHTS

For consumer goods companies with omnichannel sales, downstream demand is a key signal to consider when thinking about inventory allocation, new product launches, demand planning, and other decisions. However, not all downstream demand is created equal.

In this eBook, we explore what more than 4,000 consumers across four different regions of the world - United States, United Kingdom, Canada and Australia - value in their online experience, where opportunity exists, and how brands and retailers can execute to ensure that they maintain a competitive position as the industry continues to rapidly transform.

Spendsetters represent a third of all shoppers, and 52% of millennials. Unlike millennials though, the term Spendsetter isn’t age-specific, rather it reflects lifestyles and shopping habits. Spendsetters are early adopters, rather than change resistors. They embrace, and sometimes demand, new solutions driven by emerging technology. Retailers simply cannot afford to ignore this growing 33% of the market.

A simplistic view of the customer journey: search bar > click > add to cart can be costly. Search is not simply about helping the user find what they are looking for. Today’s consumers come to your site for experiences, and it is inspiring experiences that will keep them returning.

Customer service has become a key component of the overall customer journey, and more critically, customer lifetime value. Therefore, retailers need to invest in service options to provide choice and convenience to customers.

This high quality printer offers fast label and barcode printing in one compact unit. With its software utility you can quickly design custom labels and barcodes and print in one- or two-colors on a variety of print stocks. It supports continuous printing on liner labels and cost-effective one- and two-color thermal labels are available from Epson in a variety of sizes